FINAL RESULTS: 2016 Record Courier Senior Portage County Amateur

Jim ‘Papa’ Wise of Ravenna played great as the oldest competitor in the 2016 Record-Courier Senior Portage field.

It was a hot, steamy day at Windmill Lakes Golf Club in Ravenna on Sunday as more than 70 competitors teed off for the final 18-holes of competition in the 46th Record-Courier Senior Portage County Amateur Championship.

The par 70 fairways proved to be tough as leads changed hands and golfers moved up the leaderboard from their first-day rounds.

After the final scorecard was signed, the champions were a mix of golfers from Portage County and throughout the rest of Ohio, with tiebreakers necessary to determine many of the top five.

SENIOR DIVISION (Age 50-59)

Jeff Maier (photo coming soon) traveled from Columbus to play in the Senior Amateur.

Tied for fourth place after the first day at Oak Knolls, Maier added a 74 to his first round 75 for a 149 to edge out four competitors tied with a final score of 150.

Maier won the tournament by hitting all but one fairways on his final day.

“I had never played Oak Knolls before so I just had to strap down the seatbelt and go for it on the first day,” said Maier.

Maier, who played college basketball for Geneseo State in New York, picked up golf after college and loves the competition.

There was a three-way tie for second place between Randy Crider of Brunswick, Ed Marsinek of Ravenna and Dave Peck of Macedonia, with Crider taking second and Marsinek third thanks to a scorecard playoff.

None of the second through fourth place competitors had been in the top two championship pairings, making their way up the leaderboard with solid shooting on the final day.

GOLD DIVISION (ages 60 to 69)

Jeff Dean from Copley, a first time competitor in the Senior Amateur, tied for the low round of the day at Windmill Lakes, a two-over-par 72 on his way to an outstanding two-day total of 144.

Dean also led both days, edging out Robert Gintert of Newton Falls by one stroke thanks to Gintert’s 73 in the first round at Oak Knolls.

Dean plays in the Akron District Golf Association series and won the Zoar Invitational earlier this season.

“My drives were awesome today,” said Dean who made a long putt to save par for the one-stroke cushion he needed over Gintert.

Randy Steele of Hudson took the third spot, also firing that two-over-par 72 at Windmill to tie Gintert, taking third in a scorecard playoff.

PLATINUM DIVISION (ages 70+)

Robert Hall of Ravenna, competes in leagues throughout the area at Windmill Lakes, Oak Knolls and Ellsworth Meadows and competes in a traveling league with friends.

Hall was a runner-up in the Senior Amateur two years ago but this year he captured the championship leading wire-to-wire

On Sunday, Hall added an 80 to his first-round score of 77 for a one-stroke victory over former Senior Amateur champion Ed Taber of Aurora.

David Pifer of Mantua took home third place but complimented Hall for his efforts.

“We were calling him Fairway Bob because of the amount of fairways he hit in both rounds,” said Pifer.

Hall said he only got into trouble on one hole and was in three sand traps along the way.

“I made a lot of putts,” said Hall as he accepted the trophy and the admiration of the golfers in his division

Jim “Papa” Wise of Ravenna, the oldest competitor in the Platinum Division fired his age, a 93.

But it took some solid shooting at the end of his round as Wise finished with two birdies on the 17th and 18th holes.

SENIOR WOMEN

Wendy Brugmann of Mantua, plays in the Portage County Amateur almost every year but this year was her first victory. Firing a 95 at Windmill she earned the championship trophy.

WRAP-UP

Competitors are looking forward to the 47th edition of the Record-Courier Portage County Senior Amateur in 2017 as the event continues to grow.

This was the final competition of the 2017 for the Record-Courier series of Amateurs saw competitors ranging in age from 7 to 93 play on the fairways of Windmill Lakes, Oak Knolls and Kent State University Golf Courses.

(Written by Susan Jenior, reprinted with permission from the Record-Courier.)